Joey Cook, the "American Idol" star who used to be the darling of Peninsula open mic nights, will return to Hampton and perform for about 200 students as part of the anti-bullying month campaign.

Joey Cook, the "American Idol" star who used to be the darling of Peninsula open mic nights, will return to Hampton and perform for about 200 students as part of the anti-bullying month campaign.

Mike Holtzclaw757-928-6479 | mholtzclaw@dailypress.com

Joey Cook knows how to win over an audience. In an appearance at Hines Middle School on Thursday morning, she had 300 students cheering her every move.

They liked her blue hair and her funky wardrobe. They liked her charismatic singing style and the fact that she made the top 10 on "American Idol" last summer. But they cheered the loudest when she told them that a year ago she had been living just a few blocks away, alternately in Hilton Village and on Dresden Drive.

She delivered a few songs, and even got a handful of students to join her on stage for a sing-along on Jason Mraz's hit "I'm Yours." But she came to talk about bullying. Her appearance at the school, arranged after she met choral director Rebecca Hopkins through a mutual friend, was part of a month-long anti-bullying program at the school.

After starting with a song (Amos Lee's "Sweet Pea"), she had all of the students close their eyes and then asked how many students had ever been victims of cyberbullying. Several dozen hands went up. Then she asked how many had themselves posted mean-spirited things online about someone else? Almost as many hands that time.

"I know what bullying is like," she said, "and I know you're thinking, 'I'm in middle school, so it's only temporary.' Well I'm going to pull that Band-Aid off right now and tell you, it ain't temporary. It will keep happening, because this is the age we live in."

Joey Cook, the "American Idol" star who used to be the darling of Peninsula open mic nights, will return to Hampton and perform for about 200 students as part of the anti-bullying month campaign. Joey Cook was singing and doing Q&A with the students during this mornings show.

(Joe Fudge)

She told the students that when she was on "American Idol," she would get thousands of social media messages every week, more than half of them negative or mean-spirited.

"I have a theory about cyber-bullying," she said. "When someone tells you something mean to your face, you hear it in their voice. When you read it online, it's like you're reading it to yourself and you hear it in your own voice. It's so much worse when it sounds like you're saying it about yourself.

"Something might take five seconds to say or five seconds to type, but it sticks in that person's head for a lot longer than five seconds. If you ever feel the need to type something out like that, think about it before you hit 'send.' Stop and think about how long that's going to affect the person you're sending it to."

That is just the message Hines principal Amanda Corbin-Staton was hoping for from Cook, who is visiting friends and playing a few gigs on the Peninsula during a break in her touring schedule.

All month long, the school has had activities and events on the theme of "See something, say something" — urging students to report bullying when they witness it.

"We're working very hard to give them ways to say something," Corbin-Staton said. "They can call a 'Safe Line' to report it, or leave an anonymous bullying report in a box outside the counseling office, or talk to a teacher or to me. It's a very serious issue, and it was a big deal to have Joey Cook here today to talk about it. The kids really related to her."

After her performance, Cook talked about her own adolescence as she packed away her trademark ukulele. Even then, she said, she was dying her hair and dressing in a distinctive fashion.

"I got made fun of a lot when I was in middle school," she said. "I'm happy about that now, because it made me a stronger person. But there's a trend in music right now for people to act like they were always cool, and it's not the truth. You want to tell them, 'No, you weren't — you were the weirdo.' And that's OK."

Before she left, she posed for a few pictures, which Corbin-Staton planned to share in the school's online newsletter.

"Keep sharing that good message," Corbin-Staton told her.

"I'm workin' on it, man," Cook said with a smile.

Holtzclaw can be reached by phone at 757-928-6479.

Want to see Joey Cook?

Former "American Idol" contestant Joey Cook will perform Friday night at Heaven's Pizza in Hampton's Buckroe Beach (6 p.m., no cover). On Saturday afternoon she will be emcee at Langley Speedway's annual Halloween FallFest in Hampton (11 am.-6 p.m., $10 adults, kids under 12 free). On Saturday night she will perform at the County Grill in York County (9 p.m., no cover).